Author's Notes: I do not own Once Upon A Time which is a show on ABC where they have yet to cast the part of Sven. Seriously. Anyway, I also don't own Frozen or Wicked or a couple of other things. We got to 400 reviews, yay! Thank you all so much. I'm working on a way to celebrate, one shots, anyone? I'll work on the details for that and get back to you. Please continue to let me know what you think and happy reading!


Today

"Got it!"

Beatrice and Joseph looked up as Emma walked into the main room of the Storybrooke Sheriff's Office.

"Okay," said Emma entering the room with a stack of papers. "Someone had the foresight to make a list of all the new residents with their non-fairy tale names..."

"Yeah, that was probably my mom," said Beatrice.

"No, my parents could have-" She paused and shook her head. "Never mind. You're probably right."

Joseph took the papers. "What are we looking for?"

Beatrice sighed. "Someone whose name vaguely reminds you of some detail about them in the story."

"Like Mr. Gold?," asked Joseph.

"They're usually harder. I hope you're good at name etymology," said Beatrice.

"Actually, I am," said Joseph.

"Though I don't think we need it." She pointed. "Billie Chenoweth."

"What? How do you know?," asked Emma.

Beatrice took the list. "You never listen when I talk about Wicked."

"What?," Emma asked.

"Popular..." Beatrice started singing as she walked out the door. "I'm gonna make you popular..."

Joseph followed.

"What are you talking about?," asked Emma.


Last December

Emma looked up from her cocoa at Ruby. "Is that one of the guests?"

"No, that's Beatrice," said Ruby. She motioned towards the alley. "She sits in her car and sings sometimes."

"How long has this been going on?," asked Emma.

"Well, since Neal left with Marco and Archie to find August," said Ruby. "Gold's been less than his charming self, I can only guess at what he's been like at home."

Emma then heard a violin playing.

"Is that on the soundtrack?," asked Emma.

Ruby shook her head. "That is Joseph."

"Joseph?"

"He says he composes while he works."

"He's a nature photographer, how can he be working in his room?," asked Emma.

"You know, I brought the same thing up to Merlin and he said not to worry about it."

Emma furrowed her brow. "Merlin said not to worry?"


"Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!"

Emma rapped on the window startling Beatrice. She looked up and rolled down the window.

"Is this the people Pissed Off at Neal Cassidy Club?"

Beatrice shrugged and unlocked the doors. "Come on in."

Emma got in the passenger's side. She motioned at the music. "Is that helping?"

"It's helping a lot actually. Idina Menzel gave me another song with which to express my emotions."

Emma frowned at her.

"Wicked is my angry music," said Beatrice.

"What?"

"Wicked, the true story of the Wicked Witch of the West. Idina Menzel played Elphaba. See, she's born green so everyone kind of treats her like a freak, then she goes and meets Galinda, then she finds out the Wizard of Oz is a jerk doing horrible things to talking animals-"

"Is this going somewhere?"

"Of course it is. Then she sort of goes around trying to free the animals and Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion go to hunt her. And Dorothy throws a bucket of water at her and she melts."

Emma stared at her.

"Well, it's better with the songs obviously," said Beatrice.

"So, I'm pissed at Neal for leaving two weeks before Christmas," said Emma. "Worse than that, Henry thinks it's great that he's gone to be a hero and helps Marco and Archie. I didn't have the heart to tell him August went crazy. Oh, and Mary Margaret is being so optimistic about it I could scream."

"You're still calling your mom Mary Margaret?"

"Well, sorry, we all haven't progressed like you and your fairy tale parents."

"His name is Rumplestiltskin, I was sort of backed into a corner."

"Okay, your turn," said Emma. "Do your rant."

Beatrice considered this. "Well, ditto the Christmas thing. Second, stealing the thing I was in charge of, don't I look like a moron? Third, sending my father spiraling into a deep depression. Fourth, said depression making my life miserable. Fifth, I seem like a bitch if I bring any of this up, hence..."

She hit play on the music again.

"LET IT GO! LET IT GO! LET IT GO!"

"I get it," said Emma.

"Don't you have angry music?"

"No."

"How do you get through life without angry music? Especially your life."

"Gee, thanks," said Emma.

"You know what I meant."

"It's not like they're going to make a musical about the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming getting put through an enchanted wardrobe to another world."

"I bet it would sound like Les Mis..." mused Beatrice.

Emma gawked. "My life is not that crappy!"

"Come on," said Beatrice, picking up the iPhone. "Give angry music a try."

"I don't think so."

"You'll like it. Come on. We'll listen once to get the hang of that and then you're in the next one. Oh, and the hand motions help."

A few minutes later Regina walked down the street and stopped when she caught sight of Beatrice and Emma sitting in Beatrice's car and singing.

They both suddenly stopped to Regina's icy and critical eye.

"How long do you think she's been there?," asked Beatrice.

"Long enough," said Emma. "It gets worse."

"How much worse?"

She pointed up at the window of one of the rooms at the inn. Joseph was standing in the window staring at them.

"Oh, God," said Beatrice.


Today

"La la! Laa la! I'm gonna make you popular!," Beatrice sang as she drove.

"Beatrice. Come on. We have a curse to break," said Emma. "And a Wicked Witch to fight."

"Yeah, hence my theme."

They pulled up to a white cookie cutter house.

"Things would be much more fun if we sang and broke curses at the same time," said Beatrice getting out of the car.

"Why is there a doorway in the front garden?," asked Joseph.

"That seems like it's worth exploring," said Beatrice as they walked into the front yard.

She opened the door revealing a snowy scene with a blonde in a sparkly white dress.

"What is that?," asked Emma.

"Oh, my God, this is so Doctor Who right now," said Beatrice.

The three walked into the scene.

"You know there's a house right over there?," asked Emma.

"Hi," said Beatrice. "I'm Beatrice, this is Emma and Joseph. I'm guessing you're Glinda?"

"Yes."

"Okay, great, we need to defeat the Wicked Witch of the West and you are the Good Witch of one of the other directions, so you know, we could use some help with that."

"I'm sorry. I don't know who you're talking about," said Glinda.

"Oh, come on," said Emma. "Even I know this one. She's like your enemy or something."

"My dad said you know her," Beatrice protested.

"And who might he be?"

"Rumplestiltskin." Beatrice held up her hand. "Yes, the Dark One. You can save the speech."

Joseph pointed as he edged up to Glinda. "Your pendant. Zelena has one just like it, but it's green."

"Green?," Glinda gasped.

"Yes, green," said Emma. She looked at Beatrice. "Seriously, is this what it's like to be you?"

"Why would it be green?," asked Joseph.

"The pendant must hold her powers," said Glinda.

"So, if we can get the pendant off her, she becomes powerless?," asked Joseph.

"Yes, but only a purveyor of the strongest light magic would be able to accomplish such a feat," said Glinda.

"Light magic?," asked Emma.

"Magic created from love," said Glinda.

Beatrice nodded. "Okay, Emma, you're up."

"What? Why me?"

"Well, you're the product of True Love. You're the Savior. This is under general savior duties. You're up."

"That's not fair," said Emma.

"No one expects the Spanish Inquisition," said Beatrice.

Emma turned to Glinda and pointed at Beatrice. "She's the product of True Love, too."

"Yeah, but I'm not the Savior."

"She does way more magical stuff than me," said Emma. "She can change the weather and has a thing with a fireball."

"Dark Curse, she broke it with a kiss," said Beatrice. "Number of curses that I have broken, zero. Zero."

Joseph shook his head. "What are you two even arguing about?"

"Your dad made me the loophole. She has all kinds of magical powers."

"I'm the Dark Princess." She looked plaintively at Glinda. "Come on. The strongest purveyor of light magic cannot be the Dark Princess. Just by definition."

Glinda seemed to be agreeing with Beatrice.

Emma pointed at Beatrice again. "She travelled through time."

Glinda spoke again. "I'm sorry. It would appear fate has chosen you, Emma."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Great."

"Then I guess we'll be going," said Beatrice. "Oh, my mom is having a 'Welcome to Storybrooke' seminar at the library."

Glinda stared at her blankly.

"You know, if you want to know how to use your cell phone or shop on Amazon."

"Amazon?"

"Yeah, it's a website..."

"She doesn't know what a website is," Joseph interjected.

"Well, she's going to need it to buy the sheet music from Wicked if we are ever going to get the singing and curse breaking thing together."

"I am not singing while I break the curse," said Emma.

"Just tell me if anything sounds familiar," Beatrice said to Glinda. "One short day in the Emerald City..."

"That does sound oddly familiar," said Glinda.

"Did you go to Shiz?," asked Beatrice.

"Okay, never mind that," said Emma. She held up her phone. "I just got a message from Mary Margaret. We have to meet back at Granny's. Something big happened."


Last December

Joseph entered the library. The party was well-attended by the townspeople who seemed to be in a cheery mood. He spotted the gardener who had been in the field with Beatrice dressed as Father Christmas. He seemed to be giving each of the children a wrapped book in turn. The waitress and her grandmother were manning the refreshment table.

Merlin was across the room.

Talking with Lila Foley.

She seemed to have a girl no more than a year old on her hip and was calling after two other boys.

Whom he of course recognized.

Which was of course impossible.

Merlin spotted him and motioned for him to come over. Joseph hesitated.

"Hey."

He looked to his right. Beatrice had snuck up on him, wearing a green lace dress. The ever-present Dalmatian walked at her side. She held up a book.

"You have come just in time to hear me read 'Babar and Father Christmas.'"

"You read to children?"

She motioned at her mother, happily chatting with Mary Margaret and some other women. "She makes me."

"Where's your father?," he asked.

"He's not coming," Beatrice said, obviously trying to hide her discomfort.

"Oh. I don't see your brother, either."

"He is out of town," she said stiffly.

Before he knew what had happened, that bubbly redhead with the unusual gait bounded up to Beatrice.

"Beatrice, I finally found you!"

"Okay..." said Beatrice.

"Eric says he has a surprise for me tonight. Do you think this is it?"

"For what?"

"The engagement, silly," said Ariel. "It's been months since we got back from-"

Beatrice coughed and motioned at Joseph.

"That island..." Ariel finished uncertainly.

"Engagements aren't really my thing," said Beatrice.

"Aurora said I should dump him."

"Don't dump him. In fact, don't go to Aurora for advice," said Beatrice. "I mean, I don't know, he did ask you to go around the world the night you met, so maybe?"

This was enough to make Ariel squeal.

"He's here!," she said.

Joseph turned to see Eric walk in. He came up to greet Ariel.

"He's not proposing," said Joseph.

"What?," asked Beatrice.

"What?," Ariel echoed.

Eric stared at them dumbfounded. Joseph turned back to face the couple.

"Well, first off, his smell. One part fish, I assume that's from your job at the cannery given the calluses, cuts and healed cuts on your hands. Second part is a budget men's cologne that he wears to cover up the fish smell- it's really not working by the way, third part off your breath, cottage cheese. Fourth part, Juicy Couture, the scent worn by your previous companion this evening who I also suspects enjoys eating cottage cheese. Ariel wears Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Summer, known for it's beachy scent."

Ariel stepped back from Eric and looked at Joseph. "What else?"

"Ariel-"

Joseph was only too happy to continue. "Well, his mobile has a locked screen, lots of people have locked screens with a pin, but he has it set to where you can't even read the messages while it's locked like the one that just lit up from a Patience Moffat?"

"The secretary?!," Ariel shouted. "I got legs for you!"

Ariel stomped off as Eric followed.

"It's not my fault!," he pled. "Regina gave me another girlfriend!"

"What are they talking about?," asked Joseph.

Beatrice looked at Joseph. "Did you just spend a day sniffing perfumes once?"

"Yeah," said Joseph. "I was kicked out of three different Sephoras before I smelled them all."

"What am I wearing?"

"Your body wash is one of those ones that smells like baked goods. I would say sugar cookie today. The expensive one, the cheap ones leave a much more unpleasant after odor. Your hair is Wen, the fig scent and your perfume is Yves Saint Laurent Paris chosen by your mother for its strong rosy notes."

"How did you know my mom gave it to me?"

"You buy cupcake scented body wash, your mother has more expensive tastes, this sells for thirty-nine dollars an ounce. There are roses on her desk. Favorite flower, I'm guessing? Does your mother pick things on a whim? Well, her choice in spouses might lead you to such a conclusion, but you would be wrong. She values things with an emotional connection, hence why she treasures books, hence why she wears the jewelry your father gave her, why she gave you the necklace that came from her family. Rose scented perfume for her only daughter? It reminds her of your father, ergo I would say the first flower your father ever gave your mother was a rose." He paused. "How did I do?"

"You might have missed a detail," said Beatrice. "Overall, it was pretty good."

"What detail?"

Beatrice leaned over to the circulation desk and picked up a wrapped box.

"Who's that for?," asked Joseph.

"That's for you."

"Oh." He examined the box.

"You know you don't have to deduce it, you can just unwrap it," said Beatrice.

"How is that fun?," he asked.

"Ripping paper is fun."

He opened it. "A metronome."

"Yeah, I don't know much about cool photography equipment and figured you probably had it all. I just looked up gifts for violinists and I figured if you had one, it wasn't bad to have more than one and this one is from my dad's shop. It's Bakelite which is sort of cool, there were some wood ones if-"

"No," said Joseph. "No, this is good. Thank you."

"Beatrice," said Belle.

"I'm going," said Beatrice, picking up the Babar book again.

Beatrice walked off. Belle picked up a tin off the desk with a pre-made bow stuck on top of it.

"Decent tea," she explained. "I have my own blend."

"Oh," said Joseph, again caught off guard by a gift. "Thank you."


Today

Gold had gotten Belle's message shortly after he met with the witch. Whatever it was, the Charmings thought it was an emergency so he made his way back to the diner where the first thing he spotted was his daughter talking again with the young man whose brain he needed.

"Dad," said Beatrice.

"Did you find the Wicked Witch?," asked Joseph.

"Not that it's any of your concern, but I did not. She has several wards in place," said Gold.

"You said she was a pupil of yours?," asked Joseph.

"We found our witch," said Beatrice. "Long story short, Emma has to save us all. Kind of again."

"Lucky me," Emma grunted as she drank her cocoa.

"Strongest purveyor of light magic, there you go," said Beatrice.

Belle and Mary Margaret entered.

"Isn't David here yet?," asked Mary Margaret.

"He's fine. Regina's with him," said Emma.

Merlin shook his head. "Words that ought not go together." He turned his gaze to Joseph. "Have you always lived in London?"

"Yes," said Joseph.

"Any hobbies?"

Beatrice eyed her grandfather. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to have a conversation. This is how mortals talk, is it not?"

"The fact that you use the word mortals shows that you have no idea how they talk," said Beatrice.

Unfazed, Merlin turned back to Joseph. "So, any hobbies beside crime solving? You have sheet music in your pocket."

He looked down. "I suppose I do. I compose while I work."

Gold glanced over. The sorcerer was right. Sheet music there in his pocket, the product of his thoughts, perfect to transform into a brain and so easy to magic away.

The perfect opportunity presented itself as Regina, David and Robin Hood entered the diner.

"Robin!"

"Belle?," he asked.

"They're serious?," Joseph asked Beatrice.

"They're so serious," Beatrice said as her mother hugged Robin Hood.

"How do you two know each other?," asked Regina.

"She was kinder than a thief deserved," said Robin. "Did you escape from that imp?"

"Really?," asked Beatrice.

"She had a baby with that imp," said Regina.

"Yeah, hi," said Beatrice.

"Oh," said Robin.

"Hello, dearie," said Gold.

"Anyway," said David, "I thought I saw the witch and chased her into the woods. When I saw fought her-"

"With your sword?," asked Joseph. "You tried to fight a witch with a sword?"

"No," said Beatrice. "Don't try to put logic in this."

"I pulled aside the cowl and saw myself," said David. "Then I put my sword in to the hilt and the creature vanished."

"So my sister wanted David's courage for some reason," said Regina.

"Courage and a baby?," asked Belle. "What can you do with that?"

"More than you might think," said Regina. She turned to Gold. "Did you find her?"

"Afraid not, dearie."

"So, basically, our team is the only one that did what they were supposed to do," said Beatrice, motioning between herself, Joseph and Emma.

"For all the good it does us," said Emma. "Just how am I supposed to take the Wicked Witch's pendant from her?"

"That's what this Glinda said?," asked Regina.

"Strongest purveyor of light magic," said Beatrice.

"You're so quick to harp on that," said Emma.

"Except you have no training, dearie," said Gold.

"Thank you for remembering that," said Emma. She looked at Beatrice. "You're back in."

"I'm not putting her up against Zelena," said Gold. "I have been known to offer instruction..."

"Yeah. Do all your students go crazy?," asked Emma.

"Hey," said Beatrice.

Emma looked at Merlin. "What about you?"

Merlin shook his head. "I'm very selective with my pupils."

Emma turned to Regina.

Regina rolled her eyes. "You can't be serious."

"Come on, Regina. If this is really the only way..."

She sighed. "Fine, but don't think I'm going to coddle you. This is serious."

"Yes, well, try not to damage her as you do so many other things," said Gold.

The group broke up.

"Rumple?," asked Belle. She met him at the door. "I thought we could go to Mushu's."

"Yes, of course," said Gold. "I just thought I'd check on Martha."

Belle looked over at Beatrice and Joseph. "They seem to make a good pair, don't they?"

"Perhaps she ought not get attached."

"What do you mean?"

"I only mean he's an outsider and will doubtless will be back to his own life after this curse is broken," said Gold. He kissed Belle on the cheek and left for the shop.

He took a look at the sheet music in his pocket and was shocked as he read the title.

For Beatrice.

He glanced back in the diner. Regina was being bizarrely awkward with Robin Hood, but his girl was back at the counter with Joseph. Smiling. Even her eyes were smiling.

This was not good.


Last December

When Beatrice read at the library, it always filled Belle with pride and wonder. This creature had grown inside her, nursed at her breast, those days had seemed like they would last forever and now they were gone. She looked every bit the young woman tonight and Belle could not have been prouder.

Gold hadn't come, though and that didn't sit right with her. So she grabbed her coat and braved the freezing walk to the pawn shop. As she left, Regina rushed in, nearly knocking her over.

"Merlin! Someone was in my vault!," she shouted.

Gold was as Belle suspected he would be. Polishing, dusting, any number of senseless tasks.

"Is that your plan? Are you just going to sit here and polish?"

"I doubt I would be very good company at the party. Besides, it's not as if anyone would miss me."

"I miss you. Beatrice misses you."

Gold didn't answer.

"She looks so beautiful tonight."

"Of course she does."

"Did you bother asking who the metronome was for?"

He shrugged.

"Joseph. She is giving it to Joseph and you didn't even know."

His eyes shot up at her. "Obviously, you and Merlin have your own plans," he grimaced.

Belle took Gold's hand in hers. "Do you know what I think?"

"What might that be?," Gold quipped.

"I think you miss Beatrice as well. I think you're mad at yourself for Bae leaving and you want to punish yourself. The best way you can think to do that is keeping yourself from her, but you're punishing her as well. I know you would never want to hurt her."

"I'm unworthy of her," said Gold.

Belle squeezed his hand. "Come on."

They walked into the library.

"Where is she?," asked Gold.

Belle searched around, but eventually zeroed in on where Martha was heading. Beatrice and Joseph sat in one of the library's reading corners with comfy chairs.

Gold turned back to Belle. "She's with him again?"

"Please, it's Christmas."

They walked over.

"Dad," said Beatrice, looking up with surprise.

"Come here."

Beatrice stood and was only half-surprised when Gold took her into a deathly tight embrace.

"Dad, Dad, seriously, can't breathe," said Beatrice.

Joseph looked at Belle. "Did your father leave?"

Belle looked around. "He was here a moment ago."


Merlin walked with Regina to her vault.

"Someday you might consider putting a decent protection spell on your vault," said Merlin.

"I don't need you to tell me how to do magic," said Regina.

"Well, apparently you do since you came running to me for help."

"I was looking for Gold, you just happened to be there."

"Alas, sunshine is somewhat concerned with finding his son. Again."

Merlin stopped, holding Regina by the arm. He pointed at a pit of earth.

"You didn't mention that."

"Mention what?"

"The obvious evidence of a portal," he said.

Regina looked. "Do you think they're connected?"

"Someone travels from another realm and someone breaks into your vault on the same night?," asked Merlin. "Yeah, I think they might be connected."

"What would be the point? I don't have anything they could want," said Regina.


Today

Gold shut the door of the shop behind him.

"Martha!"

The dog bounded up to him.

"Good girl, good girl," he said. "Come on. I need your help. It's about the young man who seems so taken with our Beatrice."

He went to the back room and got out the dream catcher.

Martha stared at him curiously wagging her tail.

"Zelena is very powerful, yes, but she's impulsive and impulse does tend to make one sloppy. I'm willing to bet she didn't bother erasing your memories," said Gold.

He sat on the cot and motioned for the dog to come over. He ran the dream caatcher over her back and then tried to divine what he saw.

A kiss.

It got worse.

"That's True Love's Kiss," said Belle.

Gold looked up as he still held the dream catcher.

"It was, wasn't it?," asked Belle.

"Yes," said Gold.

"Well, can we get more? Find out what Zelena's plotting?"

Gold motioned at Martha. "She's a dog, Belle. I'm sure we didn't discuss the ins and outs of Zelena's nefarious scheme in front of her and if we did, it's not as if we can retrieve our speech, only what she saw."

He finally dropped the dream catcher on the floor, disgusted with it.

"He's her True Love," said Belle. "Beatrice was right. There must have been another curse that brought the others to Storybrooke because they broke it with True Love's Kiss."

Gold didn't answer. Belle spotted the sheet music on the workbench. Gold didn't have the will to stop her as she picked it up.

"Rumple, why do you have this?"

He didn't answer.

"Why do you have this?," she demanded.

"The witch needs a brain," he said.

"And since when do you run errands for her?," Belle asked.

"Since she has Bae," he snapped.

Belle paused. "I'm sorry, Rumple, but you know you can't give her a brain. She's planning something-"

"I need my son back."

"Right and we'll just tell Beatrice that she's out of luck." She folded the sheet music and put it in her jacket pocket. "I'm not going to let you do this."

"There is no choice-"

"There is always a choice," said Belle. She edged up to him. "Right now, Zelena has the advantage because we lost our memories. You just saw the way to get our memories back."

"True Love's Kiss?," asked Gold. "You want to throw our daughter at some stranger?"

"They've already apparently thrown themselves at each other," said Belle. "They just don't remember it. Once we do that, we'll know what she's planning and we can stop her."

"And what am I supposed to do about my son?," he asked harshly.

"We'll find another way. You don't even know that Zelena has Bae."

Gold shook his head as he slumped down on the cot. "Belle, you know I just can't take the chance."

"Rumple, do you trust me?"

"What sort of question is that-"

"Do you trust me?," she repeated.

"My darling Belle, there is no one I trust more in any realm."

"Then trust me now," said Belle. "Please."

He stared at her again.

"Please. Please do it my way," she plead.

"Why?"

"Because you trust me," said Belle.


Last December

Beatrice awoke with a start. Looking around her room, she couldn't figure out why.

Then she started to feel it.

Martha began to bark. She looked to the window to see a cloud of green smoke gathering.

She hurried down the hall with the dog a footstep behind her. She rushed into her parents' room as the cracks of magic began to shake. They were already awake, Belle seemed to be just stirring.

"Beatrice, come here," said Gold, taking her in his arms.

"Rumple, what's happening?," asked Belle.

Gold opened the drapes, revealing billowing green smoke looming larger and growing closer.

"That looks like the Curse cloud," said Belle.

"The Curse cloud?," asked Beatrice. "Like the Curse?"

"Rumple," said Belle.

Gold looked at Belle. "I know nothing about this. Nothing."

"So, what? We're going to the Enchanted Forest?," asked Beatrice. "We're getting cursed here?"

"I don't know, sweetheart," Gold said. He kissed her on the forehead.

"There's nothing you can do?," asked Belle.

Gold shook his head and led Beatrice to sit on the bed next to Belle. Belle wrapped her arms around her daughter as Martha jumped onto the bed.

Belle looked at Beatrice. "No matter what happens we'll be alright."

"Oh, right, because nothing's going to happen like us getting separated for twenty-eight years!"

Gold was silent, linking hands with Belle as they sat on either side of their daughter.

"I can't do this," said Beatrice. "I can't, I don't want to be separated or cursed or-"

"Shh," said Belle. She kissed Beatrice's cheek and tried to rub soothing circles on her back. Beatrice looked at her father who was gripping her so tightly she thought there would be bruises.

The drapes weren't enough and green smoke came into the room. Beatrice began to shake and hooked one of her arms under her dog. Martha whimpered and the green smoke was all that could be seen or felt or breathed.